2026 MAC Football Week 9 Preview: Buffalo Bulls vs. Miami RedHawks

The Buffalo Bulls (5-3, 3-1 MAC) bring a three-game conference winning streak into Yager Stadium on Tuesday night, taking on the hosting Miami RedHawks (5-3, 3-1 MAC) in what could be a decisive game for the conference title game chase.

As of publication, Ohio sits undefeated at 4-0, and there are four teams sitting at one conference loss apiece for the second spot in the MAC Football Championship in Detroit, Michigan. UB and Miami are the lone teams with a 3-1 conference mark to play this week, making the second serving of Tuesday's Weeknight #MACtion a potential elimination game.

(Ohio does play Akron this week, with that game kicking off an hour before this one.)

Winner gets to stay in the chase, loser could fall back from tied for second in the league to mid-table. Doesn't get much more dramatic than that.

Game notes

• Date and Time: Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio
• TV options: The game will be on ESPN, part of the ESPN family of networks. A valid cable subscription is required for viewing.
• Streaming options: The game will be available for streaming on the ESPN App, ESPN Unlimited, or on applicable cable/satellite services. A valid subscription is required for viewing on any platform. Other streaming carriers include Sling, DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV.
• Miami radio: Steve Baker (play-by-play) and Terry Bridge (color) will provide the Miami call for WMOH-AM 1450.
• Buffalo radio: Paul Peck (play-by-play) and Scott Wilson (color) providing the Buffalo call on The Varsity Network App.
• Gambling Considerations: Miami is a 2.5-point favorite on the road; over/under is 39.5-40.5 by book, per Covers.
• All-time series: Miami leads the all-time series 18-9, with a two-game winning streak (2023, 2025) entering this contest. Last year saw the RedHawks take a 37-20 victory on the road.

Miami outlook

The RedHawks eeked out another victory in a hostile environment when they were last in action, managing to stifle a Central Michigan rally in the second half to seal a 28-27 victory over the Chippewas.

Several aspects of their game struggled in Mt. Pleasant, but they found the plays when they needed to, finishing 50 percent of their third/fourth-down conversions and leading a game-winning offensive drive down six with under four minutes remaining.

The RedHawks have had a penchant for persevering through adversity; they've had one-score results decided in the last moments against Cincinnati (loss), UConn (win), Bowling Green (loss), UMass (win) and Central Michigan (win) in the 2026 campaign.

QB Caleb Heavner (18-of-33, 221 yards, one TD, two interceptions) posted a gritty game vs. Central Michigan last time out, playing through multiple injuries to led the RedHawks to victory. The Miami passing offense has had to carry the attack in 2026, a departure from the typical look under head coach Chuck Martin; the RedHawks are second-best in the MAC with 217 passing yards per game on average (compared to eighth in rushing at 141.3 yards per game.)

Maleek Huggins had his second 100+ yard performance of 2026 vs. Central, and leads the team with 24 receptions for 431 yards and a touchdown. Damarion Witten (17 rec., 346 yards) has been the consistent scoring threat, leading Miami with four touchdown catches. They also want to get gadget player Snoop Smith (five-foot-five, 150 lbs.) involved on horizontal routes, whether on jet sweeps or on crossers; he sits on 18 catches for 189 yards and a receiving score.

The rushing attack, outside of games against Holy Cross and Akron, has been largely pedestrian when facing even average units. They face a tough loss along the line, as starting guard Greg Smith Jr. suffered a leg injury last week trying to block for a run. The RedHawks like to utilize a two-back rotation, with Rodney Nelson (78 carries, 391 yards, three TDs) and D'Shawntae Jones (55 carries, 173 yards, three TDs) carrying part of the load. Heavner also contributes positively here, with 217 yards and two TDs.

Speaking of tough losses, leading tackler Malcolm McCain might also be out ahead of this game. The upperclassman MIKE backer has been crucial to the defense with 59 stops (13 more than second-place Blayne Myrick), and was directly responsible for the win over UMass with a crucial two-point conversion stop. It'll likely be up to Myrick (46 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, INT) to step up into the role. Roosevelt Andrews III and grant Lyons have combined for nine TFLs and seven sacks on the defensive line, while Amariyun Knighten leads the backfield with 10 pass break-ups.

Special teams haven't been a guaranteed for Miami, but they've employed their placekicker and punter well after a shaky start to the season. Kellan McLaughlin is 10-of-14 placekicking with a long of 47 yards, while Pierse Stainton averages 44 yards per boot. Scoop Smith has a return touchdown this season and has been one of the MAC's best specialists through eight games, averaging 30 yards a run.

Buffalo outlook

Much like Miami, Buffalo also needed to pull some late heroics to take home a hard-fought victory last time out, taking down Bowling Green 31-24.

Both UB and BGSU were 2-1 entering the contest, making it a very important game for the MAC standings. The Bulls were able to find the advantage in the fourth quarter after a back-and-forth contest, shuttering the Falcons with two three-and-outs and an interception while the offense did enough to build a 10-point lead to claim enough space for a win.

Key to the effort was senior halfback Messiah Burch, who exploded for a career-best 184 rushing yards and three touchdowns, securing his fifth-straight game of 100+ rushing yards to continue his all-MAC caliber campaign.

Since the start of conference play, the Bulls offense has settled into a fierce, run-driven outfit, averaging 195.8 rushing yards per conference game (second in the MAC) and averaging 4.4 yards per rush. They've also been top five in league play in first downs, third-down conversions and fourth-down conversions despite being near the bottom in time of possession (12th in MAC), showing decent efficiency.

Burch leads the team with 151 carries for 845 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards a rush. QB Jason Wright has two TDs and 158 yards on 58 carries as well. It's plus value at the signalcaller spot, as Wright's passing numbers have left a lot to be desired (987 yards, seven TDs, four INTs on 48 percent completion). Spelling Burch is Nino Hill (202 yards, two TDs), who has risen up through the depth chart throughout the campaign, going from a fourth-stringer to second-string.

When the passing game gets on-line, tight end Clint Walker has been a favorite target– especially over the last two games, where he's combined for nine catches for 85 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Chance Morrow has struggled the last month or so, but he's been capable of big performances and leads the team by a large margin in catches (41), yards (480) and touchdowns (six) and cannot be discounted due to his size (six-foot-four, 190 lbs.) and penchant for contested catches.

The defense has been the story of the 2026 season for UB, as they have turned on a switch once conference play began. One of the worst defenses in the MAC in the non-conference season, the Bulls have rebounded in conference play to the tune of 328.8 yards per game in total yards allowed (fourth-best in MAC) and 17.5 points allowed per game (second-best).

They also excel in situationals, allowing only 35.7 percent of opposing third-downs and 38.5 percent of fourth-downs overall, while also recovering four fumbles and grabbing three interceptions in four conference games, effectively neutralizing offenses in key moments.

SaVeon Brown leads the effort with 67 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, a sack and three PBUs from the nickelback spot. On the whole, this is a unit prided on its depth, as nine different Bulls have at least two TFLs and a sack apiece. A whopping 18 different UB defenders have at least one PBU, with five notching three apiece, including EDGE rusher Christopher Climes (24 tackles, four TFLs, sack) and starting safety Miles Greer (51 tackles, three TFLs, sack). Starting linebacker Zach Bergmann leads the unit with four PBUs. Sedrick Vessah (team-leading two sacks, INT, forced fumble, safety) has been emergent in recent weeks as well; he'll be one to keep an eye on in this game.

Buffalo's special teams have been amongst the best in the league in 2026. Oliver Hautanen was perfect last week and sits at 13-of-17 overall, with a long of 52. Ethan Stumpf has been the best punter in the MAC, with an average of 45.3 yards on 47 boots, with 12 going for 50+ yards and 17 landing inside the 20.

Game outlook

This is a game where the teams are essentially even strength in both defense and special teams, making the offenses all the more important to success.

Both teams have had unique struggles in that category. Miami is down to their third quarterback and have had struggled blocking for the run, while Buffalo's passing offense has been disjointed in recent weeks, leading to leaning on the run game.

Miami's biggest strength– and what may be the ultimate difference in the game– is their excellent run defense, which is #1 in the MAC in yards allowed and kept Central Michigan to a season-low 64 yards in their last action. It'll be up to the Buffalo offensive line to set the tone early and open up holes for Burch to run through. If they can't do that, it plays right into Miami's hands by making the game one-dimensional.

On the other hand, Buffalo's defensive backfield is experienced and has a penchant for the turnover. Heavner has been vulnerable to making bad reads and tossing careless interceptions trying to make a play; that could be taken advantage of here if UB's pass rush can get home.

The oddsmakers have this as a one-score game in Miami's favor, and it's easy to see why. Miami has historically shown they can win this sort of game over the years, while we haven't seen Buffalo in this position recently. There's something about this Buffalo team, though, that gives pause. They fought tooth-and-nail with both Western Michigan and Toledo and showed mettle; if they can win here, that's a narrative-turner.